The Best Smoky Whiskeys to Drink from Around the World

Sometimes it’s the acquired tastes that are the best (or worst, depending on who you ask). Perhaps the most divisive sector in the world of high-end spirits, peated whisky has become a cult phenomenon, especially in recent years, even though the process has likely been performed since the early days of whisky-making in Scotland. It yields a specific type of flavor profile that’s been classified as “smoky.”

Although it’s basically synonymous with Scotland’s Islay region, this very specific method can come from anywhere in the world, including Japan, Ireland, and right here in the United States. Despite all this, there’s been an erroneous conflation between peated/smoky whiskies and Islay whiskies. To highlight one of our favorite styles, we’ve put together a guide to the best peated whiskeys found around the world, which will seek to correct those misconceptions.

To understand the peating process, it’s important to know what exactly is peat in the first place. It’s essentially decomposed plants like moss, grass, and/or tree roots. Since the water in bogs slows down the decomposition, the peat found there is often thousands of years old and can be considered fossil fuel. When distilling first began in Scotland in the 18th century, peat was used to burn kilns. However, along the way, it was discovered that the distinct smoky aroma that comes off of burning peat imparts a unique flavor when it was used to dry the barley grain during the malting process. The longer time spent being dried with peat, the more smoky the end product would be, measured in phenol parts per million (PPM).

While other regions in Scotland faded away from peating their barley, Islay continued this process. The scarcity of trees in this island region not only gives the peat a cleaner quality but the surrounding distilleries wouldn’t have had an easy time sourcing the wood used as a peat substitute.

Lagavulin 16

Best Overall: We didn’t have to do it, but Lagavulin 16 is just too good. Deserving of its self-appointed title of the “King of Islay,” this sub-$100 single malt is quintessential of the style and also the one you’ll keep coming back to the most. While not sanctioned until 1816, the Islay legend has been rolling out masterful peated whisky for almost 300 years and has some of the most loyal fans in the game. Its 16-year-old flagship expression is as indelible as any Scotch you’ll ever drink. You’ll be greeted with intense peat smoke before being introduced to a deceptively balanced profile of sweetness and saltiness.

Compass Box The Peat Monster

Best Budget: Rooted in the traditional view of blended Scotch as a highly-curated marriage of quality single malts, Compass Box was launched by an American industry veteran John Glaser from his kitchen in 2000. The brand has since risen to become a cult favorite for marching to the beat of its own cask — literally. Using custom-built barrels from French oak, as well as casks from the likes of Caol Ila and Laphroaig, Compass Box blends quality single malts from the Islay region in Scotland for this aptly titled The Peat Monster, a sub-$100, 92-proof expression with a nuanced smoke profile with fruit and butter notes along the way.

Laphroaig 25 Year

Best Top-Shelf: There are some peated whisky detractors who would scoff at spending hundreds of dollars on a smoky Scotch. However, if you’re a fan of the style, there are few worth spending $650 on more than Laphroaig’s 25 Year. Bottled at cask strength, this highly-coveted peated whisky takes the distillery’s flagship liquid and ages it for a quarter-century in seasoned ex-sherry and ex-bourbon barrels. If you don’t have $650 to spare, you can grab yourself a bottle of Laphroaig’s 10 Year — arguably the best single malt at that age statement, peated or otherwise. But if you want the best from the iconic Islay distillery, this 25 Year is it.

Hakushu 12 Year

Best Mild Peat: There are a lot of single malt whiskies with subtle peatiness, but Hakushu’s 12 Year is executed in such a way that the subtlety feels more meticulous and premeditated. A blend of the Japanese distillery’s own peated whisky aged in American oak barrels and two batches of non-peated whiskies, aged in either American or ex-sherry oak casks, this single malt boasts a mere 7 to 9 PPM, but makes it count with every sip. A peated whisky for those who may be new to the style and want to start slowly, Hakushu gets by with notes of apple, orange, caramel, toffee, and a careful dash of smoke. 

Bruichladdich Octomore

Best Intense Peat: Not as well known or attainable as the brand’s Port Charlotte, Bruichladdich’s Octomore is the definite standout from the Islay distillery’s range. Classifying itself as “super heavily peated” (as opposed to its ”heavily peated” expressions) this seasonal single malt is arguably the smokiest Scotch in the world with upwards of 80 PPM to brag about, depending on the batch, and as high as 309 PPM. By comparison, its “heavily peated” Port Charlotte is a measly 40 PPM. If that’s not enough, the ABV on this borders on 60%!

Balcones Peated Texas Single Malt

Best High Proof: Here, we have the first American peated whiskey this list, but definitely not the last. Selling out each year, this annual release from Texas-based Balcones is among the most notable in the States. Sourcing both its malted barley and copper stills from Scotland, this Peated Single Malt expression is still very much a product of the U.S., aged in-house for 3 years before being bottled at a blazing hot ABV of around 63%. Despite the heat, this whiskey showcases a complex palate of smoke, ginger, chocolate, and some cereal.

Sheep Dip Islay

Best Blended Scotch: There can be a stigma to blended Scotch, but Sheep Dip has helped change that notion in recent years, even though its history dates back to 1974. While the company is more famous for its regular Blended Malt, this Islay expression is more outside-the-box, taking different single malt whiskies from the Islay region, which yields a more dynamic profile compared to its single-distillery counterparts. The smoky profile is something to behold, with notes of tangerine, melon, malty beer, and seaweed rounding out the palate.

Westland Solum Single Malt

Best American Whiskey: Although the category of American single malt whiskey is increasing at a rapid rate now, distilleries such as Westland have been making the stuff long before today’s nascent cachet. In fact, the Washington-based distillery launched in 2010 with the intention of filling this very gap in the American whiskey industry. While its flagship expression has led the way in the category, its annual Solum single malt is a new addition to its Outpost Range trio, which focuses on locally-sourced ingredients. Solum features peat that’s grown in a bog in the Pacific Northwest and has a unique herbal profile with notes of burned sage, vanilla chamomile tea, coffee cake, and pumpernickel toast.

Waterford Peated: Ballybannon

Best Irish Whiskey: There are a handful of Irish distilleries that make peated whiskeys. However, prior to a few months ago, those expressions weren’t using Irish-grown peat. While peated methods are still perpetuated in the Islay region in Scotland, Ireland saw the style die out in the mid-19th century. Claiming to be the “first in a generation” to do so, Waterford decided to change all that with a pair of single malts, Ballybannon and Fenniscourt, using barley from those respective areas — the former of which found a higher PPM at 47. Ballybannon perfectly pairs creamy and fruity notes with the smoky palate.

Nikka Yoichi

Best Japanese Whiskey: Although Japanese distilling learned a lot from the techniques of the Scottish in its early days about a century ago, there are very few peated expressions from the Land of the Rising Sun, perhaps due to the disparate terroir compared to Scotland. One such exception is Yoichi from Nikka, a brand that dates back to 1934 and whose founder studied production firsthand at the historic lost Hazelburn distillery in Scotland. Nikka has a couple of peated single malts, but the Yoichi is its most prolific, with a dynamic smoke profile that’s creamy, fruity, and nutty.

Brother Justus Cold-Peated American Single Malt 

Most Experimental: In order to find quality peat, you need to search in a locale that’s flourishing with the proper flora. Minnesota-based distillery Brother Justus taps its Great Plains and boreal forest surroundings for locally-sourced barley and peat, respectively, and is one of the few American names to do so — even the barrels are made from Minnesota oak. Honoring the state’s Prohibition history, which then boasted some 1,600 distilleries that were supplied copper stills by the brand’s namesake monk, Brother Justus uses a patent-pending cold-peated method. Rather than burning the peat, the peat sits inside the whiskey, which imparts a greater depth of flavor. You’ll find notes of dark chocolate and baking spices rounding out the earthy profile.

Ardbeg Uigeadail

Honorable Mention: We would be remiss to leave off Ardbeg from this list, since the Islay distillery boasts nearly a dozen fine peated Scotches. Our favorite happens to be Uigeadail, a single malt that’s peated to around 50 PPM and eventually bottled at cask strength at 54.2% ABV. Smelling like Christmas in a bottle, the whisky then gives way to an incredible palate of aggressive smoke, brown sugar, espresso, tobacco, and even smoked brisket. While not as ubiquitous in the States as Lagavulin or Laphroaig, Ardbeg doesn’t need to stand on anyone’s shoulders and is legendary in its own right.

The Ultimate Guide to Bourbon Styles

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